Weekly Round-Up: 14 – 20 January 2019

2019 is getting better and better!

There is an unspoken rule that the music industry dies down to a near standstill at the beginning of December each year. (This is so Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé can earn their royalties for the coming months.) This week, it’s started to feel like the big, new releases have picked up once again.

Two works of note dropped this past week. First, we have the latest album from James Blake, Assume Form, an auditory love letter to his partner, Jameela Jamil. (Tahani from The Good Place herself!) This is a departure from the rest of his oeuvre, to put it frankly – much more uplifting. Love is a wonderful thing. You definitely need to listen to the title track, Mile High, featuring Travis Scott & Metro Boomin, and Where’s The Catch, which has the first verse from André 3000 in over a year. Actually, just listen to the whole thing.

Secondly, you know what we’re going to say, don’t you? You’ve got taste, you’re reading this. Queen dodie has blessed us. The Human EP is out, saved and downloaded to many a phone, right now. After devouring the title track when it was first released, boy, are we glad to have more to feed on! Monster has all the hallmarks of a breakthrough song. Will we see it pop into the mainstream in the near future? Seeing as it’s already had its Radio 1 debut, fingers-crossed!

Now, on with the Round-Up!

Green (Official Music Video) | cavetown

There really are no words here, but we’ll try.

This video is something special. Directed by Guy Larsen and Taha Khan, along with the help of almost everyone we can think of, it cannot be understated just how wonderful this piece of art is. Stop-motion will always be an impressive feat; the hours spent doing it alone are staggering (watch this “making of” video), but when the finished product comes out as polished, singular and powerful as this music video for Robin Skinner‘s Green does, it will linger with you.

Watching the video over and over, it’s hard to believe this comes from the minds of people at the beginning of their careers. Imagine what’s to come! We definitely have.

Spending £10,000 in 5 minutes | Stephen Tries

Sketch comedy doesn’t get better than Stephen Tries, it’s really that simple. Deemed by many as the funniest on the platform, he proves them right time and time again. This video is no exception.

This sketch skewers approximately three million different things in five minutes, going after Top Gear, clickbait titling and even Stephen’s recent brand deal with Tik Tok. People who aren’t afraid to laugh at themselves will always be comical and this is a testament to that very adage.

7 Tips for Creative and Cinematic Vlogs and Videos | Minnie Small

Want to start making YouTube videos, but aren’t quite sure how to make them stand out from rest? Or perhaps you’re a creator looking to give your vlogs a creative and cinematic flare. No matter where you are on your filmmaking journey, this video from Minnie Small is guaranteed to help you up your game.

As Minnie explains in the video, changing the aesthetic or way your vlogs look isn’t all that complicated. There are many small things you can do, from increasing the quality of your audio by using an external microphone instead of the one built-in to your camera, to being more strict with your editing style. Our favourite tip? Be yourself! There are so many people on this platform who emulate others, which leads to a lot of the same content. By being yourself and sharing your interests, you’ll build your own community that’s excited to watch each upload.

Directing God of War with Cory Barlog | Noclip

God of War was one of the three biggest gaming hits of 2018 and truly redefined what games can do on a fundamental level, making it a wholly unique experience for its millions upon millions of players. That concept is thanks to one man and his vision: Cory Barlog, creative director of Sony Santa Monica Studio.

In this video, Noclip‘s Danny O’Dwyer sits down with him to discuss what directing a game that changed people’s lives was like for him. It’s a fascinating watch for everyone, with no spoilers for those who haven’t yet played it. It’s no surprise that someone as eloquent and insightful as Cory created a game as moving as God of War.

I Bought Ads For My YouTube Channel | WillNE

January is a month where people’s CPM rates are dipping. Most would freak out and bury their head in the sand until it passed, but not Will Lenney. Quite the opposite, in fact.

In what can only be described as “throwing it all at the wall and seeing what sticks”, Will puts down his own money to see if he can advertise his channel and overtake Jill Hudson. Yep, you read that one right. Morgz Mum, a creator in her own right nowadays. (We’ve all seen the Coin Miner advert by now.) It’s beef to rival KSI and Logan Paul, we’re sure you’ll agree.

This is, unsurprisingly, a pretty funny video. However, it also serves as a first peek behind the curtain of how YouTube advertising works. Online advertising is a fickle thing and this video is proof of that.

Want more? Okay…

Eyes are intriguing and terrifying in equal measure. We cannot deal with eye stuff – stay away from our eyes! However, this doesn’t make this Slow Mo Guys video any less interesting. Over the years, their channel has seen videos on all sorts of outrageous things, from mousetraps on trampolines and exploding caravans, to lots and lots of paint. In more certain recent uploads, they’ve scaled way down – down to the pupil of your eye, to be exact. Can they go even smaller next time? An ant colony? Something to do with a single grain of rice? Stick around to find out!

Leave it to Connie Glynn to bring us the content we didn’t know we wanted. (Until now.) In this video, she shares with us her top 10 favourite rats from all forms of media! You’ve seen people rank their favourite film dogs, but did you ever think you’d see someone rank their favourite oversized mice?

Do you just ever listen to Melanie Baker and find yourself absolutely blown away by her vocal talent? We do. She recently uploaded a mashup of some of the best songs to have been released as of late. Prepare to be blown away by how seamlessly she switches between them – how does she do it?!

Sex Education, featuring Asa Butterfield and the wonderful Gillian Anderson, has proven itself one of Netflix’s breakout shows of 2019. Bradley Birkholz just happened to be there as part of the wider cast, finding himself in one or two scenes and breaks down the entire experience in his latest video. New fans should be quick to check it out!

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